Changes to policing in Cambridgeshire will benefit Fenland says new man in charge

Published:13:00Tuesday 20 February 2018

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Changes to the way Neighbourhood Policing is managed across Cambridgeshire should benefit Fenland communities according to the new man in charge.

Inspector Ian Lombardo has just been appointed as the sector inspector for Fenland, and he sees the changes that are set to come into force from April as a positive move.

The Fenland-born officer is confident the recent review of how local policing is delivered across the county, which saw a reduction from six command areas to two, will not see this area miss-out.

Fenland has become part of the Peterborough City and Fenland area, with the other command area covering South Cambs, East Cambs, Huntingdon and Cambridge City.

Insp Lombardo, who lives in Fenland, said: “There will still be neighbourhood policing teams based at March and Wisbech, those police station will remain as operational bases and enquiry offices.

“The community action team will be based at Thorpe Wood in Peterborough but we will still be able to call on them to target specific issues we are having in any of our communities.

“We have become part of a bigger area and that means we now have access to bigger resources.

“We will have more frontline officers and more neighbourhood officers, and they should be in place by September.

“We have yet to sort out the details of where PCSOs will be allocated and their areas of responsibility.

“Frontline officers will be more visible across the area when they are carrying out patrols, everyone deserves a police presence, but we have to prioritise where there is a risk of harm.

“Convicting criminality and protecting the vulnerable is at the core of policing it is why I joined the police.

“Fenland is a nice safe area but it has its problems and they must be dealt with robustly.”

He added the result of reducing the command areas to two means a leaner management structure, a reduction in the number of senior officer posts and an increase in warranted officers, which will increase frontline strength.

He added: “With the agreed increase in precept as approved by Police and Crime Commissioner Jason Ablewhite, there will be a further increase in police officer numbers, with a combined total increase of in excess of 80 additional officers.

“A significant number of these will be committed to delivering neighbourhood policing, including in Fenland.”

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